Metallic wheel.



No. 687,397. w Patented no'v ze, mm. a. A. FARRALL & c. MAUL. METALLICWHEEL.

- (Application filed Jan. 12. 1901. (No Model.)

lnvraiom I [Mam-,4 m

UNITED 4 STATES :PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ALBERT FARRALL AND CHRISTIAN MAUL, OF BATAVIA, NE? YORK,ASSIGNORS TO THE JOHNSTON HARVEST-ER COMPANY, OF

BATAVIA, NEW YORK.

METALLIC WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 687,397, datedNovember'26, 1901. Application filed January 12,1901; Serial No. 42,943.(No inodel.)

T0 at! whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE ALBERT FAR- RALL and CHRISTIAN MAUL,citizens of the United States, and residents of Batavia, in the countyofGenesee and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Metallic Wheels, of which the follow-. ing is aspecification.

This invention relates more particularly to the metallic Wheels whichare used as the traction or master wheels of grain-harvesters,traction-engines, &c.; butrthe invention may also be embodied in wheelsfor other purposes.

The master-wheels of grain-harvesters usually consist of a cast-ironcenter or spider, a wrought-iron tread or face rim, and wroughtironspokes connecting the center or spider with the face-rim.

The object of this invention is to produce a strong and rigid wheel ofthis character in which the face-rim is, braced by the spokes bothcircumferentially or in the plane of the wheel and transversely or inthe axial line of the wheel.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of atraction-wheel embodying our improvement. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionthereof in line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary face view of thetread of the wheel. Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary circumferentialsections, on an enlarged scale, taken in lines 4 4 and 5 5, Fig.1,respectively. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modifiedconstruction of our improved wheel; Fig. 7 is a transverse sectionthereof in line 7 7, Fig. 6.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, A represents the cast center or spider of thewheel, which consists of a hub a, a rim a, and connectingspokes a allcast in one piece.

B represents an annular driving flange, which is arranged along theinner edge of the spider-rim. The motion of the traction-wheel istransmitted to the driven mechanism from this driving-flange by suitablemeans-for instance, by gear-teeth 1), arranged on the inner side of thedriving-rim, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

C represents the tread or face rim of the wheel, which is arrangedconcentric with the spider and at a suitable distance outwardly from thespider-rim. This tread is provided on its outer side with the usualtractioncalks c. v

D represents the spokes, which connect the spider-rim a and the face-rimO. The spokes are preferably made in pairs, each pair being formed outof a single rod of wrought metal, which is bent at its middlesubstantially into the shape of the letter V and passed through atransverse opening 6 in the spider-rim. The outer ends of the spokespass through radial holes in the face-rim and calks and are securedthereto by screw-nuts (1, applied to the outer ends of the spokes. Thebight of each pair of. connected spokes is drawn against the outer sideof the opening 6 of the spider-rim, while those parts of the spokesWhich are adjacent to the bight rest in seats 6', which are formed onopposite sides of the spider-rim. The spokes of each pair divergeoutwardly from the bight or bent middle portion both in acircumferential and in a transverse direction, so that each spoke isarranged in a plane which intersects the radial line as well as theaxial line of the wheel at an oblique angle. This arrangement of thespokes braces the face-rim in two directions, circumferentially or inthe plane of the wheel and transversely or in the axial line of thewheel, and holds the face-rim rigidly in place with reference to thespider,'thereby producing a traction-Wheel of great strength andrigidity and permits the parts of the wheel to be made comparativelylight, whereby the weight and cost of the wheel are correspondinglyreduced.

The internal gear-teeth b of the drivingflange are offset or arranged ata short distance laterally from the spider-rim, so that they do notobstruct the openings e, through which the bifurcated spokes pass. Theseopenings are sufficiently large to permit each pair of spokes to beeasily inserted from the inner side of thespider-rim or withdrawninwardly, whereby any pair of spokes can be removed from the wheelwithout disturbing the other spokes, thereby permitting a broken spoketo be replaced without dismembering the wheel for that purpose.

In the modified construction of our wheel shown in Figs. 6 and 7 thespokes D D on opposite sides of the spider are not connected or made inpairs, but are separate from each other. In this construction each spokeis arranged with its inner end in a lug fon the spider-rim and isprovided with a head f, fvhich is drawn against the inner side of theug. of the spider=rim and driving-flange underneath each spoke D, whichstands outside-of the drivingflange. If such a spoke should becomebroken, it could be removed through this opening 9 and a new spokeinserted.

We claim as our invention-- 1. The combination with the wheel-spider,and the surrounding face-rim, of connectingspokes which diverge from thespider laterally to the rim and which at their outer parts are arrangedin planes intersecting the wheelaxis at an oblique angle, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The combination with the wheel-spider, and the surrounding face-rim,of connectingspokes arranged in pairs, the two spokes of which arearranged on opposite sides of the wheel-spider and diverge from the samelaterally and also circumferentially to the facerim, substantially asset forth.

3. The combination with the wheel-spider having spoke-openings, and thesurrounding face-rim, of connecting-spokes formed in pairs in which thespokes of a pair are bent of a single rod which is arranged with itsbent middle portion in the spoke-opening. in the spider, and from whichthe two spokes diverge An opening 9 is formed at the junction bothlaterally and circumferentially, substantially as set forth. I

4. The combination with the face-rim of a wheel, and the wheel-spiderhaving its rim provided with transverse spoke-openings and with aspoke-seat on each side, of connectingspokes formed in pairs and havingtheir bent middle portions arranged in said openings of the spider-rim,said spokes resting in said seats of the spider-rim and diverging fromthe same to the face-rim both laterally and circumferentially,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a wheel-spider, and a surrounding face-rim, ofconnectingspokes arranged in pairs, the two spokes of a pair beingarranged on opposite sides of the wheel-spider and diverging from thesame laterally and also circumferentially toward the face-rim, saidpairs'of spokes being detachably secured, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a wheelspider having spoke-openings therein, anda surrounding face-rim, of connecting-spokes arranged in pairs, thespokes of a pair being formed of a single rod passed through thespoke-opening in the spider and bent into sub stantially V shape, thetwo spokes diverging both laterally and circumferentially from thespider, and means for detahably securing the ends of the spokes to theface-rim, substantially as set forth.

Witness our hands this 2d day of January, 1901.

GEORGE ALBERT FARRALL. CHRISTIAN MAUL. Witnesses:

M. J. EARLEY, H. R. STONE.

